Sunwayfoto Leveling Base Review

Another awesome video review from the team that brought you The Nice Clip

Want to make your tripod a million times more useful? This is the DYH-66X levelling base from Sunwayfoto. It provides +/- 16° of tilt, is fluid dampened, and has a scratch-resistant, anodised black finish. Sure, it’s built really nice. But even nicer is what it does.

Simplify your photography setups, maximize your panoramics, and shoot video without dancing around the legs, shortening one at a time until the head is exactly level. Get leveling out of the way so your brain can be creative.

Levelling bases aren’t just for still photographers. You can also convert your nice photo tripod into a killer video tripod by adding a levelling function for flat base video heads. Go small? Sure! Just slap the levelling base between your favorite travel tripod like the Brian from 3Legged Thing, and a small fluid head and you’ve got the most compact and useful video tripod you can imagine.

The machining is artful, the fluid dampened movement like butter, and the ratcheting clamp works like a charm. It’s got a very nice bubble level – nicest bubble level I can remember seeing on anything ever. It even comes with three locking tension screws to keep your head from spinning off the top. Sunway has avoided plastic on this thing like they’re allergic to it. It’s lightweight, but solid. Really nice quality.

Not only does the DYH-66X work just as it should, but it makes your tripod work the way it should have worked in the first place. No instruction manual needed. Screw it onto your tripod, screw your tripod head onto it, level with the aid of the attached bubble, and tighten. Brain dead simple.

There’s just no two ways about it, once you use a quality levelling base on your tripod, you’ll never go back. Combine Sunway’s quality of construction, with the way it will enhance your performance, retail it for sub $120 and Sunwayfoto has delivered a winner.

Not too impressed with the video review. How about some footage of the leveling base in action?

I’ve never had too many issues leveling my tripod, so this is not a product I have ever considered that I might need or want.

In the video review, Zeke says that the leveling base is very durable. However, there are two customer reviews of this product on the B&H website, and both reviewers indicate it’s not very durable, with one reviewer complaining his broke on the second shoot, and the other reviewer indicating his broke after two weeks.

Cornell

Tooooooooooo…….. long.
Tooooooooooo…….. wordy.
Tooooooooooo…….. much.

After 2+ minutes, I stopped viewing the video. Whoever did the video should have cut to the chase and gone about selling the product. The manufacture needs to have another video done by someone who won’t turn off perspective buyers.

Cornell

I should have stated prospective buyers, not perspective buyers.

Jason

Agrees 100% with the previous poster.

Grant S

I don’t mind this style of video (although the start was bizarre and distracted) but found it odd that there was hardly any footage of the actual product being used. Perhaps next time you could actually show its features and how to use it for a little more time? To be honest I had to google this product to actually work out what it was and to get a good look at it as this video left me with more questions than it answered.

Dan

How come a product that is no longer being manufactured is being reviewed in the first place?

Richard

B&H says it is discontinued. Amazon says it is not in stock and unknown if it will return to stock. So I agree with Dan. Why is this here?

Fraucha

Worry not Sunway made it slightly larger it is now a DYH-90. I have used this leveling base for about a year now, no way I will ever take it off, it totally does the job. There is not much to say about “action” , you set up tripod, flip the base lever, level with the bubble…a frigging monkey can do this. I use Sunway’s DB-52LR on top of a Manfrotto 055CRXPro4 and not a single complaint.

Some Older Comments

FrauchaJune 3, 2013 07:04 pm

Worry not Sunway made it slightly larger it is now a DYH-90. I have used this leveling base for about a year now, no way I will ever take it off, it totally does the job. There is not much to say about "action" , you set up tripod, flip the base lever, level with the bubble...a frigging monkey can do this. I use Sunway's DB-52LR on top of a Manfrotto 055CRXPro4 and not a single complaint.

RichardMay 13, 2012 04:37 am

B&H says it is discontinued. Amazon says it is not in stock and unknown if it will return to stock. So I agree with Dan. Why is this here?

DanMay 12, 2012 01:21 am

How come a product that is no longer being manufactured is being reviewed in the first place?

Grant SMay 10, 2012 01:07 pm

I don't mind this style of video (although the start was bizarre and distracted) but found it odd that there was hardly any footage of the actual product being used. Perhaps next time you could actually show its features and how to use it for a little more time? To be honest I had to google this product to actually work out what it was and to get a good look at it as this video left me with more questions than it answered.

After 2+ minutes, I stopped viewing the video. Whoever did the video should have cut to the chase and gone about selling the product. The manufacture needs to have another video done by someone who won't turn off perspective buyers.

MartinMay 5, 2012 07:07 pm

Not too impressed with the video review. How about some footage of the leveling base in action?

I've never had too many issues leveling my tripod, so this is not a product I have ever considered that I might need or want.

In the video review, Zeke says that the leveling base is very durable. However, there are two customer reviews of this product on the B&H website, and both reviewers indicate it's not very durable, with one reviewer complaining his broke on the second shoot, and the other reviewer indicating his broke after two weeks.

ElizabethMay 5, 2012 03:47 pm

Thanks for the review. Sounds good to me.

ZekeMay 4, 2012 08:30 am

Feel free to leave comments below if there are any specific products you'd like to see me review or if you have any suggestions.